By There are certainties that after rain comes sunshine and after the winter break, purpose built based racing takes centre stage!
This week, coinciding with the Bob Smith Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, is the European Hill Climb Road Race Championship season opener, held at Austria’s Landshaag Hill Climb (2.25 miles long time-trial course from Landshaag to ‘St Martin im Muhklkreis’).
European roads scene stars poised for the 45th Anniversary ‘Mountain Race’ edition include Bavarian ace David ‘Datziii’ Datzer.
Datzer who last year at Landshaag set a new Superbike, overall lap-record (1.08.795 – plus Superstock 1000 record-time – 1.09.752) surpassing IRRC Hengelo, Horice, Frohburger Dreieck experienced Andreas ‘Gangolf’ Gangl outright lap-record, which stood for nine years (1.09.940 from 2016) will start the main favourite for outright Landshaag competition spoils (racer victorious determined via best combined times across two timed heats).
The 2024 IRRC Superbike Champion, TT 2026 Roadhouse Macau team member, is-entered with BMWs in two categories, Special Bikes and Naked Bikes.
Second, third fastest Superbike racers from twelve months ago, multiple European Hill Climb Champions, Italian legends Maurizio Bottalico and Stefano Bonetti are missing from the provisional start-list.
As expected, before this season, based on all indicators, nine times European, eight times CIVS, two times Austrian Hill Climbing Champion Bottalico is primarily focusing on major roads events in 2026 with suitors Crowe Performance and Basomba Racing.
Back to confirmed 2026 Landshaag entrants and there will be a strong home nation presence in SBK/Superstock 1000 classes, provided by to name but a-few:
Dominik Haslinger, Harald Schleindlhuber, Daniel Pfleger, Markus Mitterbauer, Thomas Altenhuber, Manuel Schleindlhuber.
Daniel Kronschlager, Christian Mair, Mario Grunwald, Florian Wahrstatter, Harald Portschy, Marco Horschlager or Gerald List plus Rudolf Bauer (in Special Bikes class with KTM RC990 Track steed) and female rider in Superstock 1000 class Nicole Furruther.
Potential ‘Dark Horses’ this weekend will be local hero Thomas ‘Uccio’ Altendorfer (as previously reported potential Manx Grand Prix newcomer this year) and Manx GP exponent of recent years, Italian Salvatore ‘Salvo’ Sallustro. Both Altendorfer and Sallustro are runners-up times two from last season’s European Hill Climb Road Race Championship action.
There is also Swiss rider Frederic Bongard, matador, German rider Uwe Rademacher and the Italian duo of Giacomo Failla, Gabriele Peticca, and debutants 2025 Chimay Open Trophy, BeNeLux Supersport entrant, Dutchman Colin Tyldesley (Landshaag debutant), Leos ‘Magda’ Hlavacek and Jan Huk (both amongst the top thirty fastest Dymokury, Horice participants of recent times).
2026 ‘Bergrennen Landshaag’ is loading, loading. Our next event preview compilation will investigate the Supersport/Superstock 600 field plus other classes and highlight the weekend schedule.
An added bonus the list of overall winners at Landshaag during last twenty years (2006-2026):
2026: will be known after upcoming Sunday race
2025: David Datzer
2024: Thomas Altenhuber
2023: Andreas Gangl
2022: Christian Zaiser
2021 and 2020: was not held
2019: Thomas Berghammer
2018: Wolfgang Gammer
2017: Wolfgang Gammer
2016: Wolfgang Gammer
2015: Wolfgang Gammer
2014: Christian Zimmermann
2013: Christian Zaiser
2012: Christian Zimmermann
2011: Helmut Schleindlhuber
2010: Toni Rechberger
2009: August Laus
2008: Helmut Schleindlhuber
2007: Friedrich Gahleitner
2006: Friedrich Gahleitner
Photo credit: Jan Vavra
Words by Jan Vavra
